The Night Zookeeper  helps kids practice and improve the following skills:

Planning: Becoming More Systematic. 

Because writing prompts in The Night Zookeeper have requirements checklists, students need to plan out what they want to say before they start writing. Having a plan before typing ensures that the student knows what they want to say and what requirements they need to check off for that particular piece of writing. Students who struggle with this skill may not receive as many “orbs” for their writing resulting in less currency they can spend on their animals. Students who need extra help with planning might benefit from making an outline of what they want to say before typing and submitting their work. 

Organization: Organizing One’s Own Ideas. 

Longer pieces of writing in The Night Zookeeper have a component checklist. Students need to be able to use their organizational skills to see where each of these requirements will fit best within a piece of writing. For students who struggle with this skill, having them go over their writing one final time before submitting it to identify the areas where they addressed the requirements can help strengthen this skill.